Building collapse, blot on urbanisation –Experts

A dilapidated building marked for demolition by the Lagos State Government on Adeyemi Street, Mushin ... on Saturday. | credits: NAN

The rate at which buildings collapse is a major setback to the country’s drive to have urbanised societies, a former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Uwais, has said.

He said the menace had created doubts in the minds of Nigerians about the seriousness of the government and professionals to put an end to building collapse in the country.

This is coming as stakeholders in the built environment have called on the Federal Government to bridge the policy gaps in the built environment, noting that this would help curb the incessant collapse of buildings in the country.

The President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Chucks Omeife, said in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday that the policy gap in the built environment regulatory framework and the disconnect between design and construction was an issue that should be addressed.

According to him, the builder remains the missing link between design and construction for the enthronement of quality delivery of building projects.

“One of the solutions to the building collapse syndrome is to consciously bridge this yawning gap between design and construction, and this requires the immediate situation of the appropriate legislation to redefine the regulatory framework to make the engagement of the builder mandatory both at the design stage and at the construction stage for any development,” Omeife said.

According to Uwais, the spate of building collapse in Nigeria has led to the untimely death of many citizens, adding that investments in building development were regrettably being wasted and the helplessness of the situation was turning into hopelessness.

He said, “As we are all aware, the collapse of buildings is one of the most challenging problems facing the urbanisation of the nation as of today. This is a source of concern not only to the professionals and the government, but also to everyone.

“The frequencies of collapse of buildings and the associated negative consequence have continued to place doubts on the effectiveness of all the efforts being made to stem the menace.”

Uwais noted that many reasons had been advanced as to why there were building collapses, stressing that while some were incidental or secondary, others were fundamental and could be referred to as the primary factors that caused building collapse.

“The primary cause of building collapse can be traced to inadequate regulatory framework and an enabling law, which can put in check the issue of quacks, greed, professional misconduct on the part of the professionals and lack of teamwork caused by professional attrition and rivalry,” the former chief justice said.

He stated that the secondary reasons, on the other hand, were mainly as a result of problems associated with the primary causes of building collapse.

Some of these, according to him, include the use of substandard materials, absence of building plan approval by the concerned government agencies, poor design and workmanship, alteration of approved designs and non-implementation of specifications, among others.

To stem the tide, Uwais said the industry had to look inwardly, adding that the built environment was dynamic and was becoming increasingly complex.

He observed that there was the need to keep the players abreast of evolving technologies in the construction world in order to meet and efficiently tackle new challenges.

Uwais added, “There is the need also for the National Assembly, as a matter of urgency, to pass the National Building Code Bill, which has been lying before them and which I hear is also undergoing review by the professionals in the building industry under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.

“Passing the bill will help in no small measure, because the building code provisions are intended to take care of most of the problems mentioned above. The building code is the appropriate and most effective regulatory framework for monitoring and controlling the various stages in the execution of a building project.

“Also, it will make the professionals in the industry to professionalize the operations of the construction business in Nigeria.”

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Amal Pepple, said the Federal Government would not condone lapses by professionals that were resulting in building collapse.

She gave an assurance of the government’s willingness to partner stakeholders in the built environment to bring a new lease of life to citizens in the sector and urged professionals to take their jobs seriously.

Pepple said, “I wish to sound a note of warning, though, that the present administration has zero tolerance for ineptitude, tardiness, impunity, negligence, indiscipline and all forms of unethical conduct in the built environment. The mark of professionalism is excellence, hence it is our expectation that professionals in the built environment will carry out their duties with the highest level of responsibility.

“The preponderance of quacks in the built environment is very distressing and needs to be addressed. Other sharp practices such as the use of inferior building materials, inadequate supervision, change of building designs on site after approval, inadequate use of building materials for construction, and failing to abide by planning rules and regulations will no longer be tolerated.”

She urged stakeholders to be familiar with the provisions of the revised National Building Code, stressing that priority attention would be accorded to its strict enforcement and that there would be no room for excuses.

blame not only the building owners but the bribe takers in govt ministry..from ministry of lands to urban and regional planning..same people will approve a filling station in a highly dense neighborhood.corruption runs high in the society

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